The End of the Begining

Skip riding in
Skip crossed the finish line of his 4,280 mile trek across the United States for Parkinson's Disease on September 18th, 2009, at 4:45 p.m. at the Victory Monument in Yorktown Virginia.  

This cycling adventure never stopped testing Skip on his endurance and strength of will, even on the last day.  Although it seemed touch and go on the weather, it held off, and seemed to brighten the closer we got to our final destination.  This final destination seemed to be eluding us ever so slightly...  We encountered two road closures, some confusing and contradicting directions, (apparently each town has different roads with the same names), and the route we came in on, wasn't the route the map suggested, although we did follow all the directions...  But in the end, Arch and I found the Victory Monument, and were there to cheer Skip in along that last stretch to the finish!  

Here are a few words from Arch on how finishing this great adventure with his son means to him:

"After completing this trip across the country it had given me a great respect for the USA and it's people.  Skip has shown perseverance that would impress anybody.  Ashley did a great job on the blog and keeping Skip and mindset.  We gained so much on a personal level being able to raise money for PD research added icing on the cake.  I want to say thank you to everyone thats donated.  This has been a great ride in every aspect the only downside of this is not being able to be with Cindy for such a long time."

This has been a life changing trip for all of us.  All of the wonderful memories of the good people we have met along the way, the places we have seen, and ultimately, the cause we have supported.  We could not have done it without all of you!  All of our family, that supported this right from the very beginning, our friends who have cheered us along the way, and the strangers that have changed our lives.  

This ending is the start of another beginning, a stepping stone in life that has shown us what a dream can become, and how far it really can go.  There was never any doubt that Skip would succeed, that every mile, every hill, every bump in the road would be conquered and make him that much stronger to conquer the next one.  

We raised $8,816.80 for Parkinson's Disease research, and even though Skip has gotten off the bike, we will still continue our fundraising efforts.  It's been a long road traveled, and there may be a few more mountains to climb before a cure is found, but it will be, we are 4,280 miles closer.

September 16th

       Still climbing  


I know this is kinda going back in time a little, but I didn't get a chance too earlier to pass on a couple more memories we will be remembering for a lifetime.

On the 16th, we left Lexington, Virginia, to make the trek up the last big hill on the road to Charlottesville.  It was a hard 3 mile climb, and Arch and I were there at the top to cheer him on!      

At the top we had the opportunity to meet Bernard, who is over here from Belgium.  He had started riding his bike in San Francisco and was also on his way to Yorktown.  It's always great to meet fellow cyclists on the road, that share the same passion and have a few of the same memories!       We wish you well on all your adventures Bernard!

Down the not-so-downhill road, Arch and I also ran into Brad, another cyclist.  He had also just climbed the big hill from Vesuvius, and was stopped to enjoy the scenery along the Blue Ridge Parkway.  There are so many good people out there, people that we have had the honor of meeting, and will never forget.      

So today, the 17th, we find ourselves in Ashland, with one more day down, and one more day left.  Hard to believe that after 44 days on the road, we are so close to the finish.  Skip will be biking into Yorktown on the Colonial Parkway.  Skip will be trying to arrive sometime in the early afternoon, as long as the weather holds off, and we hope to head straight down to the nearest water source so Skip can touch his wheel in the Atlantic.  Well sort of...

See you all tomorrow!!!    

P.S. here is the link to Skip's Team Fox page where donations can be made directly to the Michael J. Fox Foundation

SKIP'S TEAM FOX PAGE

Hey guys, we've had some inquiries on how to donate!  Because we are getting really close to the finish, and we seem to be having more interest than ever in this great adventure, at the end of all my posts, I will attach a link that will take you directly to Skip's Team Fox page, where you can make a donation right to the Michael J. Fox Foundation(MJFF)!

All of the money we raise goes directly to the MJFF, and we are happy to say we have raised just over $8500 so far!  Our goal is to raise $20 000, and we will!  We will keep promoting this great cause long after Skip finishes his Coast to Coast bike ride, so it's never too late to donate! 

We are in Charlottesville, VA and are headed to Ashland for the evening, even though the weather isn't quite on our side, :)  It still looks like we are planning to be in Yorktown on the 18th!!  Can't wait to see who might show up!!!

LINK TO SKIP'S TEAM FOX PAGE, DONATE DIRECTLY TO MJFF!

Just a quick update!

According to a few people who have done this bike ride, Skip is a bout to climb one of the hardest climbs today!  But as he says, it's all down hill from there.  

We are still looking to arrive in Yorktown VA, on the 18th of September!  That means only three more days of biking!!!  

More memorable moments on the road to a cure (edited, sorry Jon!)

We have been so lucky to have amazing people all around us on this journey for Parkinson's disease.  Jim Pettus, who was there right at the begining, and his son Dave, who lives in Virginia, were able to join Skip and Arch for dinner last night.  Jim had traveled to Virginia from Oregon to visit his kids, and his timing couldn't be better!  He was only 40 minutes away when we rolled into Christiansburg, VA.  

We also recieved one of the most touching letters this morning from Jon Hutchins, who works at the front desk at the Quality Inn where we spent the night.  It's an unbeleivable feeling to know what your doing has inspired someone like that.  We wish you all the best in everything you do Jen, and thank you from the bottom of our hearts!  Your show of support and your beautiful words are he biggest kind of support we could wish for because it came from your heart.  

It looks like we should be crossing the finish line sometime on the 18th of September!!!

Thanks to Stephanie Padgette, we will be staying at the Marl Inn Bed and Breakfast.  If you'd like to know more about becoming part of the welcoming party for Skip, please e-mail me at coasttocoastforpd@hotmail.com

This Coast to Coast Adventure across 4280 miles had been one of the most inspiration and memorable trips we have ever been and may ever be on!  I feel like there is no way to properly thank all the people that have helped us, supported us, been there every step of the way in heart and mind.  It is because of all of you that we were able to make this journey what it is, one of the many steps towards a cure for Parkinson's Disease.

The Final State

On September 11th, Skip crossed his last state line into Virginia on his way to the finish line.  After so long on this great adventure, it seems almost unreal to finally be here, so close to his goal of 4280 miles.  

He still has another 600 miles of cycling to go before his arrival in Yorktown.  It's amazing to think back on all the people and places we've seen so far, and to wonder what it will be like when Skip rolls across the long awaited finish line.  It's almost a little overwhelming, since the start we've finally gotten into a rhythm of packing and unpacking, double and triple room checks before getting in the car and heading to the next destination, picture taking and blog updates, making sure Skip has everything he needs to have a successful bike ride for the day, now what will we do!??

I'm sure we will figure it out!  The day of our last state crossing started out like many others, although we may of been slightly groggy after staying up late to catch our story on WYMT.  While finishing up the blog, and getting ready to pack up, we received a phone call from Skip.  He was stopped in Hindman, KY after spending the last 18 miles biking in the rain and needed a warm change of clothes.  After making sure Skip was warm and dry before sending him on his way, Arch and I stayed in town to enjoy the Gingerbread festival, before heading out to catch up with Skip.

Catching up with him turned out to be a little more difficult than we had anticipated.  So far, we have always found Skip pedaling furiously along to our destination, not this time!  We made it all the way into Virginia to our motel, and due to no cell reception, got a little worried when he wasn't there either.  On our way back the way we had come, Arch got a message from Skip letting us know we had passed him while he was stopped at a gas station getting rehydrated.  We were very thankful to hear from him, actually make that EXCEPTIONALLY happy!  But, everything happens for a reason, and since we had to double back to find skip, we were lucky enough to come across him at the state line between Kentucky and Virginia!  Talk about perfect timing. 

The last State Line crossing!

 

Yesterday afternoon, September 10th, 2009, was a very special afternoon for us all.  Through the help of Dave and Sue Hoeph, and Sue's brother Dennis Trease who works for a News station in Kentucky, we were interviewed for the local WYMT news in Hazard, KY.  

Dara Rees came out to the Super 8 where we were stopping for the evening to interview Arch and I about Skip's one-man-trek across the US for Parkinson's disease.    

                  

Dara Rees did an amazing job telling our story, we are all very thankful for the time and effort she put into it.  A big thanks goes out too Dave, Sue and Dennis, who were a huge part of us being able to have this opportunity.  We'd also like to thank Casey Ferguson, he was kind enough to let us have our room at the Super 8 for a minimal charge.

L-E waiting patiently for her 15 minutes of fame.  The ride into Hazard was quite pretty, along rolling hills and through beautiful farm land.  

Shortly after catching up with Skip, we had to turn around to make sure he was alright after sudden rain came pouring down.  We found him taking shelter (and a nap) under the eaves of a closed gas station...  After a well deserved 20 minute break and a wardrobe change, Skip got back on the road, with about 25 miles to go before arriving in Hazard for the evening.  

Cindy was able to send be there to help us send Skip off, and is now on her way to Scotland with her sister!  We will miss her at the finish line, but hope she has an incredible time.  Can't wait to see all the pictures when you get home!

You can check out Dara Rees broadcast on Skip's Coast to Coast for Parkinson's at the link below;

LINK TO OUR WYMT NEWS SPOT

Thank you again to everyone who has donated, or helped pass along our message!  We never dreamed at how far this would take us, and now it seems like the posibilties are endless, so keep up the good work!  If you or someone you know has been touched by Parkinson's Disease and would like to tell your story here, please don't hesitate to e-mail me at coasttocoastforpd@hotmail.com  

We would be honored to help pass the word along 

On another exciting note, we only have another 700 miles to go before we reached our destination in Yorktown Virginia!  Today we will be crossing our last state line from Kentucky into Virginia, so let everyone know!  Our tentative arrival could be as early as the 17th of September, so stay tuned... ;)